On September 7, NFDA took a leading role in Shopping for Funeral Services, a Funeral Rule workshop hosted by the FTC. The event focused on a number of issues related to the Funeral Rule including the comments received in response to an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) the agency issued last November. In the ANPR, the FTC inquired about potential changes and updates to the Rule, including whether and how funeral providers should be required to provide pricing online.
NFDA General Counsel Chris Farmer spoke on two panels during the workshop:
- Online Disclosures: Is it Needed? The Pros/Cons
- General Price List Updates: Fee Disclosures and Mandator Embalming Disclosures
You can see the full agenda here: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/events/2023/09/shopping-funeral-services.
You can watch a recording of the workshop here: https://kvgo.com/ftc/funeral-rule-workshop-september-7-2023 .
You can find a comprehensive recap in recent issues of the Memorial Business Journal.
If you wish to submit comments to the FTC on any of the topics addressed during the workshop, you have until October 10 to do so. Click here for more information about submitting comments.
Background
The FTC is in the process of reviewing the Funeral Rule. There are seven specific issues they are considering, which were outlined in the ANPR issued last year:
- Online and Electronic Price Disclosures
- Disclosure of Crematory Fees and Other Costs
- Reduced Basic Services Fee
- New Forms of Disposition
- Embalming Disclosure
- Price List Readability
- Impact on People in Underserved Communities
NFDA has been your strongest advocate during this review process. The association, on your behalf has submitted oral and written comments to the FTC’s requests and proposals.
NFDA leaders and staff have also met FTC officials and been working with Members of Congress to ensure that the process is fair and the voice of the funeral service profession is heard.
There is no timeline to which the FTC is required to publish any proposed changes, although we anticipate proposed changes will be published before the end of the year. Once it does so, there will be a comment period and NFDA will review and comment on the proposed changes before they are finalized.